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Abstract:

A stacked connector comprises a dielectric housing comprising a first
receptacle and a second receptacle, a first set of differential pairs
that each include a plurality of first terminals each having a contact
portion extending within the first receptacle and an extension portion, a
second set of differential pairs that each include a plurality of second
terminals that each have a contact portion extending within the second
receptacle and an extension portion, and a shield terminal including a
plate portion and two contact portions separately extending within the
first receptacle and the second receptacle. The plate portion can
separate the extension portions of the terminals of one differential pair
from the extension portions of another differential pair.

Claims:

1. A connector, comprising: a dielectric housing, the housing including a
first receptacle slot and a second receptacle vertically spaced apart; a
first set of differential pairs that each include a plurality of first
terminals, the plurality of first terminals each having a first contact
portion, a first retention portion, a first extension portion, and a
first solder tail portion, wherein the first contact portion extends
within the first receptacle and the first retention portion extends
between the first contact portion and the first extension portion and the
first extension portion extends between the first retention portion and
the first solder tail portion; a second set of differential pairs that
each include a plurality of second terminals, each of the plurality of
second terminals having a second contact portion, a second retention
portion, a second extension portion, and a second solder tail portion,
wherein the second contact portion extends within the second receptacle,
the second retention portion extends between the second contact portion
and the second extension portion and the second extension portion extends
between the second retention portion and the second solder tail; and a
shield terminal including a plate portion and two contact portions, the
plate portion and two contact portions being integrally formed, the two
contact portions separately extending within the first receptacle and the
second receptacle, the plate portion of the shield terminal disposed
between the first set of differential pairs and between the second set of
differential pairs, wherein the plate portion is configured to separate
the first extension portion of one of the plurality of first terminals
from the first extension portion of another of the plurality of first
terminals and to also separate the second extension portion of one of the
plurality of second terminals from the second extension portion of
another of the plurality of second terminals.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the shield terminal further
comprises at least an integrally formed solder tail portion configured
for grounding.

3. The connector of claim 2, further comprising two first ground
terminals and two second ground terminals, wherein one of the first
ground terminals is disposed adjacent to one differential pair of the
first set of differential pairs and the other of the first ground
terminals is disposed adjacent to another differential pair of the first
set of differential pairs and wherein one of the second ground terminals
is disposed adjacent to one differential pair of the second set of
differential pairs and the other of the second ground terminals is
disposed adjacent to another differential pair of the second set of
differential pairs, the two first ground terminals being on opposite
sides of the shield terminal and the two second ground terminals being on
opposite sides of the shield terminal

4. The connector of claim 3, wherein each of the first ground terminals
includes first ground extension portions and the extension portions of
the first terminals and the first ground extension portions of first
ground terminals comprises a widened section.

5. The connector of claim 4, wherein the widened sections of the first
terminals of first set of differential pairs are spaced differently from
the dielectric housing and wherein the widened section of the one of the
first terminals that is next to the respective first ground terminal has
a width that is greater than a distance between the respective first
ground terminal and the other first terminal.

6. The connector of claim 5, wherein each of the first extension portions
of the first terminal and the first ground terminal comprises two obtuse
bends.

7. The connector of claim 6, wherein the retention portion of each of the
first terminal and the second terminal comprises a plurality of barbs,
the barbs of the plurality of first terminals are aligned in a direction
parallel to an array direction of the plurality of first terminals, and
the barbs of the plurality of second terminals are aligned in a direction
parallel to an array direction of the plurality of second terminals.

8. The connector of claim 3, further comprises a plurality of first power
terminals each including a contact portion extending within the first
receptacle, a plurality of first signal terminals each including a
contact portion extending within the first receptacle, a plurality of
second power terminals each including a contact portion extending within
the second receptacle, and a plurality of second signal terminals each
including a contact portion extending within the second receptacle.

9. The connector of claim 8, wherein the dielectric housing comprises two
side walls, wherein the shield terminal is disposed between the two side
walls.

10. The connector of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of plate
members each having oppositely disposed projected portions, and each side
wall comprises a lower protrusion and a middle protrusion separated from
the lower protrusion, wherein each projected portion is configured to
interfere with the respective lower protrusion and to be held between the
respective lower protrusion and the middle protrusion.

11. An electrical connector, comprising: a dielectric housing configured
for connecting to a mated connector; a first differential pair including
two first terminals that each include a first contact portion, a first
retention portion, a first extension portion, and a first solder tail
portion, wherein the first contact portion extends within the dielectric
housing, the first retention portion extends between the first contact
portion and the first extension portion, and the first extension portion
extends between the first retention portion and the first solder tail
portion; and a ground terminal juxtaposed to the first differential pair,
the ground terminal including a ground contact portion, a ground
retention portion, a ground extension portion, and a ground solder tail
portion, wherein the contact portion of the first ground terminal extends
within the dielectric housing, the retention portion of the first ground
terminal extends between the contact portion of the first ground terminal
and the extension portion of the first ground terminal, and the extension
portion of the first ground terminal extends between the retention
portion of the first ground terminal and the solder tail portion of the
first ground terminal; wherein the extension portions of the two first
terminals and the ground terminal are arranged in a staggered manner and
the two first terminals comprise a middle terminal that is closest to the
ground terminal and an outermost terminal and the extension portion of
the middle terminal includes a widened section that partially overlaps
the extension portions of the outermost terminal and the ground terminal

12. The electrical connector of claim 11, further comprising a middle
ground terminal and a second differential pair juxtaposed to the first
differential pair, the second differential pair including two first
terminals, wherein the ground terminal is a first ground terminal and the
electrical connector further includes a second ground terminal, the
second ground terminal juxtaposed to the second differential pair, the
middle ground terminal being disposed between the two first differential
pairs, and the first and second ground terminals being disposed on
opposite sides of the first and second differential pairs.

13. The electrical connector of claim 12, wherein the first extension
portion and the ground extension portion comprise two obtuse bends.

14. The electrical connector of claim 13, wherein the dielectric housing
comprises a first receptacle and a second receptacle vertically spaced,
wherein the contact portions of the first terminals and the first ground
terminals extend within the first receptacle.

15. The electrical connector of claim 14, further comprising two
additional differential pairs and two additional ground terminals, each
additional differential pair including two second terminals, each of the
two second terminal having a second contact portion, a second retention
portion, a second extension portion, and a second solder tail portion,
wherein the second contact portion extends within the second receptacle,
the second retention portion extends between the second contact portion
and the second extension portion, and the second extension portion
extends between the second retention portion and the second solder tail
portion, wherein the two additional differential pairs are disposed
between the two additional ground terminals.

16. The electrical connector of claim 15, wherein the middle ground
terminal includes a plate portion and two contact portions, the plate
portion and two contact portions being integrally formed, one of two
contact portions extending within the first receptacle and the other of
the two contact portions extending within the second receptacle, the
plate portion being disposed between the first differential pair and the
second differential pair and between the two additional differential
pairs, the plate portion configured to separate the extension portions of
the first terminals of the first differential pair from extension
portions of the first terminals of the second differential pair, and to
separate the extension portions of the second terminals of one additional
differential pair from the extension portions of the second terminals of
the other additional differential pair.

17. The electrical connector of claim 16, wherein the middle ground
terminal further comprises at least one integrally formed solder tail
portion.

18. The electrical connector of claim 17, wherein the retention portion
of each of the first terminals and the second terminals comprises a
plurality of barbs, the barbs of the pair of first terminals are aligned
in a direction parallel to an array direction of the first terminals, and
the barbs of the pair of second terminals are aligned in a direction
parallel to an array direction of the second terminals.

19. The electrical connector of claim 15, further comprising a plurality
of first power terminals that each include a contact portion extending
within the first receptacle, a plurality of first signal terminals that
each include a contact portion extending within the first receptacle, a
plurality of second power terminals that each include a contact portion
extending within the second receptacle, and a plurality of second signal
terminals that each include a contact portion extending within the second
receptacle.

20. The electrical connector of claim 19, wherein the dielectric housing
comprises two side walls, wherein the middle ground terminal is disposed
between the two side walls.

Description:

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a national phase of PCT Application No.
PCT/US11/32398, filed Apr. 14, 2011, which in turn claims priority to
Singapore Patent Application No. 201002588-0, filed Apr. 14, 2010 and to
Singapore Patent Application No. 201002587-2, filed Apr. 14, 2010, all of
which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the field of electrical
connectors, more specifically to a stacked connector.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Connectors are widely utilized as means to connect two devices for
communication or data transmission. To meet the requirement of the
transmission of large quantities of data, the rate of data transfer is
continuously being increased. As the data rates increase, connectors
designed for lower transmission speed may have to be redesigned to ensure
signal integrity.

[0006] FIG. 1 shows a conventional stacked connector 1, and FIG. 2 shows a
plurality of terminals 2 and 9 arrayed in the stacked connector 1. The
stacked connector 1 includes a housing 11 having upper and lower
receptacles 111 and 112 configured to separately hold the contact
portions 21 and 91 of the terminals 2 and 9 juxtaposed along the housing
11. The plurality of upper and lower terminals 2 and 9 are densely
arranged so that the space required by the stacked connector 1 can be
small. Each of the plurality of upper and lower terminals 2 and 9 further
includes a barbed portion 22 or 92 connected to the contact portion 21 or
91 and an extension portion 23 or 93 connected to the barbed portion 22
or 92. The extension portion 23 or 93 extends from the barbed portion 22
or 92, is bent vertically, and then extends straight to form an end that
can be configured to be soldered to a through hole on a printed circuit
board.

[0007] The plurality of upper terminals 2 partially received in the upper
receptacle 111 may include two differential pairs 24 and 25, between
which a ground pin 26, having a similar configuration to that of the
terminal 2 of the differential pairs 24 and 25, is disposed. Similarly,
the plurality of lower terminals 9 partially received in the lower
receptacle 112 may include two differential pairs 94 and 95 and a ground
pin 96 disposed between the two differential pairs 94 and 95. The
terminals 2 of two differential pairs 24 and 25 received in the upper
receptacle 111 have extension portions 23 longer than the extension
portions 93 of the lower terminals 9 partially received in the lower
receptacle 112. Accordingly, when the terminals 2 of the two differential
pairs 24 and 25 are used at data rates of, for example 3 Gbps, signal
integrity cannot be ensured due to their longer extension portions 23. In
addition, the ground pin 26 or 96 having a configuration similar to the
terminal 2 or 9 cannot provide sufficient shielding effectiveness,
resulting in higher cross talk and reduced signal integrity. Further, the
extension portion 23 or 93 of the terminal 2 or 9 is vertically bent, and
such vertically bent terminals 2 may also affect the transmission of
signals. Consequentially, certain individuals would appreciate an
improved stacked connector.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The dielectric housing comprises a first receptacle and a second
receptacle vertically spaced apart. A first set of differential pairs are
provided in the first receptacle and a second set of differential pairs
are provided in the second receptacle. Each terminal in the first set
includes a contact portion, a retention portion, an extension portion,
and a solder tail portion, wherein the contact portion of the first
terminal extends within the first receptacle, the retention portion of
the first terminal extends between the contact portion of the first
terminal and the extension portion of the first terminal, and the
extension portion of the first terminal extends between the retention
portion of the first terminal and the solder tail portion of the first
terminal Each terminal in the second set of differential pairs includes a
contact portion, a retention portion, an extension portion, and a solder
tail portion, wherein the contact portion of the second terminal extends
within the second receptacle, the retention portion of the second
terminal extends between the contact portion of the second terminal and
the extension portion of the second terminal, and the extension portion
of the second terminal extends between the retention portion of the
second terminal and the solder tail portion of the second terminal. A
shield terminal includes a plate portion and two contact portions. The
two contact portions separately extend within the first receptacle and
the second receptacle. The shield terminal is disposed between the two
differential pairs of the first set of differential pairs and also is
between two differential pairs of the second set of differential pairs.
The plate portion is configured to separate the extension portions of the
terminals so as to separate differential pairs of the first set of
differential pairs and to also separate differential pairs of the second
set of differential pairs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The invention will be described according to the appended drawings
in which:

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a conventional stacked connector;

[0011]FIG. 2 shows the plurality of terminals 2 arrayed in the stacked
connector of FIG. 1;

[0020]FIG. 11 illustrates an elevated rear view of an embodiment of a
stacked connector;

[0021]FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line Z-Z of
FIG. 10; and

[0022]FIG. 13 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line Y-Y of
FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The detailed description that follows describes exemplary
embodiments and is not intended to be limited to the expressly disclosed
combination(s). Therefore, unless otherwise noted, features disclosed
herein may be combined together to form additional combinations that were
not otherwise shown for purposes of brevity.

[0024] One benefit of the depicted embodiments is that it is possible to
provide a new and improved stacked connector that can be adapted for
higher data rates. In order to achieve the above objective, one
embodiment provides a stacked connector, which comprises a dielectric
housing, two first differential pairs, two second differential pairs, and
a shield terminal. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6, for example, is a
stacked connector 3. The stacked connector 3 comprises a dielectric
housing 31 comprising a first receptacle 311 and a second receptacle 312,
a shield terminal 32, a first set of differential pairs that includes
differential pairs 4 and 5, and a second set of differential pairs that
includes differential pairs 6 and 7.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 3, the first receptacle 311 and the second
receptacle 312, respectively protruding forward from a main body 313, are
spaced apart in a vertical direction X. The first receptacle 311 may
include a slot 3111 configured for receiving a mating plug connector. The
slot 3111 can be a single slot extending within the first receptacle 311,
or can be segmented by a partition 3112 as shown in FIG. 3. Similarly,
the second receptacle 312 may also include an internally extending single
slot 3121 for receiving a mating plug connector. The slots 3121 may also
be segmented by a partition 3122 as shown in FIG. 3.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, the dielectric housing 31 may comprise
two side walls 314 protruding backward from the main body 313, defining
an accommodation space. On the external wall surface of each side wall
314, a fixing portion 315 can be disposed. The fixing portion 315 can be
near the bottom edge of the respective side wall 314 and is configured to
hold a board lock 37, by which the stacked connector 3 can be fixed to a
printed circuit board.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 6, a lower protrusion 3141 can be disposed on the
inner surface of each side wall 314, extending along the bottom edge of
the side wall 314. Moreover, a middle protrusion 3142 can be disposed on
the inner surface of each side wall 314, parallel to and separated from
the lower protrusion 3141 by a gap 3144. The stacked connector 3 may
further comprise two plate members 38, on which a plurality of through
holes 381 are formed. On the two opposite side edges of each plate member
38, recesses 382 and projected portions 383 are formed. Correspondingly,
on a side surface of each lower protrusion 3141 facing the accommodation
space, two juts 3143 are formed to engage the respective recesses 382 so
that the plate members 38 are guided while they are being assembled, and
the plate members 38 can be constrained after they are assembled. The
projected portion 383 extends widthwise and is disposed adjacent to the
top surface of the plate member 38. In addition, the projected portion
383 is configured to interfere with the lower protrusion 3141 and to be
received by the respective gap 3144, and to be held between the middle
protrusion 3142 and the lower protrusion 3141 after the plate member 38
is installed.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 6, 7, 11, and 13, each of the first set of
differential pairs 4 and 5 may comprise a first terminal 33a and a second
terminal 33b used for differential signaling. Each of the first and
second terminals 33a and 33b may comprise a contact portion 331
configured to extend above the slot 3111 and partially protrude into the
slot 3111, a retention portion 332, an extension portion 333a or 333b,
and a solder tail portion 334 configured to extend through the respective
through hole 381 in the plate members 38. The retention portion 332 is
configured to extend between the contact portion 331 and the extension
portion 333a or 333b, and the extension portion 333a or 333b is
configured to extend between the retention portion 332 and the solder
tail portion 334. Each of the second set of differential pairs 6 and 7
may comprise a third terminal 34a and a fourth terminal 34b used for
differential signaling. Each of the third and fourth terminals 34a and
34b may comprise a contact portion 341 configured to extend above the
slot 3121 and partially protrude into the slot 3121, a retention portion
342, an extension portion 343a or 343b, and a solder tail portion 344
configured to extend through the respective through hole 381 in the plate
members 38. The retention portion 342 is configured to extend between the
contact portion 341 and the extension portion 343a or 343b, and the
extension portion 343a or 343b is configured to extend between the
retention portion 342 and the solder tail portion 344.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 10, the shield terminal 32 may include a plate
portion 321 having a first side edge 3211 and disposed within the
accommodation space, a lower contact portion 322 protruding forward from
the first side edge 3211, an upper contact portion 323 protruding forward
from the first side edge 3211, and a solder tail portion 324 protruding
downward from the plate portion 321 and configured for being soldered to
a ground connection point of a printed circuit board. Referring to FIGS.
10 and 12, the lower contact portion 322 is configured to extend within
the second receptacle 312, above the slot 3121, with a part of the lower
contact portion 322 protruding into the slot 3121 for electrically
engaging a mated connector. The upper contact portion 323 is configured
to extend within the first receptacle 311, above the slot 3111, with a
part of the upper contact portion 323 protruding into the slot 3111 for
electrically engaging a mated connector. As shown in FIG. 10, a plurality
of notches 3212 can be formed on the first side edge 3211 of the plate
portion 321 so as to divide the first side edge 3211 into several
segments 3213. Correspondingly, a plurality of slits 316, as shown in
FIG. 6, can be formed for receiving the segments 3213. Thus, the shield
terminal 32 can be properly held after it is installed.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 12, two holes 317 can be separately formed to
communicate the slot 3111 with the respective slit 316 and to communicate
the slot 3121 with the respective slit 316, respectively allowing the
lower and upper contact portions 322 and 323 to be inserted into the
slots 3111 and 3121. Two barb portions 318 can be separately formed
between the plate portion 321 and the lower contact portion 322, and
between the plate portion 321 and the upper contact portion 323. The barb
portions 318 are configured to engage the respective holes 317 so as to
secure the shield terminal 32 to the dielectric housing 31.

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 11, and 13, the shield terminal 32 can
be grounded and is configured to be disposed between the two first
differential pairs 4 and 5 and between the second differential pairs 6
and 7, as shown in FIG. 7. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the plate portion
321 of the shield terminal 32 is configured to separate or hide the
extension portions 333a and 333b of the first and second terminals 33a
and 33b of the differential pair 4 from the extension portions 333a and
333b of the first and second terminals 33a and 33b of the differential
pair 5 such that the coupling and crosstalk between the two differential
pairs 4 and 5 can be reduced and the signal transmission data rate can be
increased. Furthermore, the plate portion 321 of the shield terminal 32
is also configured to separate or hide the extension portions 343a and
343b of the third and fourth terminals 34a and 34b of the differential
pair 6 from the extension portions 343a and 343b of the third and fourth
terminals 34a and 34b of the differential pair 7 such that the coupling
and crosstalk between the differential pairs 6 and 7 can be reduced and
the signal transmission data rate can be increased. Specifically, the
plate portion 321 includes an upper edge 3214 configured to be higher
than the higher end portions of the extension portions 333a and 333b
connecting to the respective retention portions 332, a lower edge 3215
configured to be lower than the lower end portions of the extension
portions 343a and 343b connecting to the respective retention portions
342, and a second side edge 3216 correspondingly configured to be away
from the dielectric housing 31 farther than the extension portions 333a
and 333b of the first terminals 33a and 33b.

[0032] Referring to FIGS. 6 to 9, the stacked connector 3 may further
comprise two first ground terminals 35 each disposed adjacent to one of
the differential pairs 4 and 5 and opposite to the shield terminal 32,
and two second ground terminals 36 each disposed adjacent to one of the
differential pairs 6 and 7 and opposite to the shield terminal 32. Each
first ground terminal 35 may comprise a contact portion 351 configured to
partially protrude into the slot 3111, a retention portion 352, an
extension portion 353, and a solder tail portion 354 configured to extend
through the respective through hole 381 in the plate members 38. The
retention portion 352 is configured to extend between the contact portion
351 and the extension portion 353, and the extension portion 353 is
configured to extend between the retention portion 352 and the solder
tail portion 354. Correspondingly, each second ground terminal 36 may
comprise a contact portion 361 configured to partially protrude into the
slot 3121, a retention portion 362, an extension portion 363, and a
solder tail portion 364 configured to extend through the respective
through hole 381 in the plate members 38. The retention portion 362 is
configured to extend between the contact portion 361 and the extension
portion 363, and the extension portion 363 is configured to extend
between the retention portion 362 and the solder tail portion 364.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, the first and second terminals 33a and
33b of each of the differential pairs 4 and 5 and the ground terminal 35
disposed adjacent thereto may be juxtaposed, and the extension portions
333a, 333b and 353 of the first terminals 33a and 33b and the ground
terminal 35 may be arranged in a manner that can facilitate coupling of
signals. To help with the differential coupling, the widened sections of
the first terminals 33a and 33b of the differential pairs 4 and 5 may
differently spaced from the dielectric housing 31, and the widened
section of the terminal 33b next to the respective first ground terminal
35 has a width greater than a spaced distance between the respective
first ground terminal 35 and the terminal 33a. Specifically, the widened
section of the extension portion 333b of the first terminal 33b is
disposed away from the dielectric housing 31 farther than the widened
sections of the extension portions 333a and 353 of the first terminals
33a and the ground terminal 35, and the widened section of the extension
portion 333b of the first terminal 33b may further have a width greater
than the spaced distance between the widened sections of the extension
portion 333a of the first terminal 33a and the extension portion 353 of
the ground terminal 35, as shown in FIG. 9. Thus, the edge portions of
the widened sections of the extension portion 333b can overlap both the
edge portion of the widened section of the extension portion 333a and the
edge of widened section of the extension portion 353, resulting in better
coupling of signals.

[0034] As can be appreciated, therefore, the differential pairs 4 and 5
thus comprises the terminal 33a with the extension portion 333a that is
less wide then the extension portion 333b of the terminal 33b.
Furthermore, while the terminals are positioned side-by-side in the
contact portion, they are transitioned to a offset relationship in the
extension portion so that the wider extension portion 333b of the
terminal 33b can overlap over both the extension portion of 333a of the
terminal 33a (which is the other terminal of the differential pair 4,5
and also overlap the extension portion 353 of the ground terminal 35.
This can provide improved control over the coupling between the
differential terminals and the associated ground terminal so as to
provide a better managed data channel. As can be further appreciated, the
orientation of the differential pair (including the ground terminal) on
opposite sides of the shield terminal can be reversed (e.g., the
orientation of the two differential pair can be a mirror image of each
other).

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, each of the extension portions 333a,
333b, and 353 of the first terminals 33a and 33b and the ground terminals
35 may include two obtuse bends 367 and 368 such that the contact portion
331 of each first terminals (33a or 33b) and the corresponding solder
tail portion 334 of the first terminal (33a or 33b) can extend in
different directions, and the contact portion 351 of the first ground
terminal 35 and the solder tail portion 354 of the first ground terminal
35 can extend in different directions. In addition, due to the
application of the obtuse bends 367 and 368, the terminals 33a and 33b
and the ground terminals 35 do not have to be sharply bent; therefore,
signal transmission can be improved. In the present embodiment, the angle
of the two obtuse bends 367 and 368 can be, for example but without
limitation, 135 degrees.

[0036] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a plurality of arrayed terminal holes
51 and 52 can be formed through the main body 313 of the dielectric
housing 31 and can be communicated to the respective slots 3111 and 3121.
The retention portion 332, 342, 352 or 362 of each of the terminals 33a
and 33b, the terminals 34a and 34b, and the ground terminals 35 and 36
may include a plurality of oppositely protruding barbs 3321, 3421, 3521
or 3621 configured for secure engagement with two opposite side walls
defining the respective terminal hole 51 or 52. In addition, the contact
portions 331, 341, 351 and 361 of the terminals 33a and 33b, the
terminals 34a and 34b, and the ground terminals 35 and 36 are inserted
into the respective receptacles 311 and 312 through the terminal holes 51
and 52 such that each terminal hole 51 or 52 is configured to be widened
vertically so as to allow the respective contact portion 331, 341, 351 or
361 to pass through and to enter into the respective receptacle 311 or
312.

[0037] In addition, the barbs 3321 of the first terminals 33 can be
aligned in a direction parallel to the array direction of the first
terminals 33 such that the signal integrity of the signals transmitted on
the first terminals 33 can be ensured. Similarly, the barbs 3421 of the
second terminals 34 can be aligned in a direction parallel to the array
direction of the second terminals 34 such that the signal integrity of
the signals transmitted on the second terminals 34 can be ensured.

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, the stacked connector 3 may further
comprise a plurality of first power terminals 41 each including a contact
portion 411 extending below and partially protruding into the slot 3111
within the first receptacle, a plurality of first signal terminals 42
each including a contact portion 421 extending below and partially
protruding into the slot 3111 within the first receptacle, a plurality of
second power terminals 43 each including a contact portion 431 extending
below and partially protruding into the slot 3121 within the second
receptacle, and a plurality of second signal terminals 44 each including
a contact portion 441 extending below and partially protruding into the
slot 3121 within the second receptacle.

[0039] As can be appreciated, therefore, a stacked connector can include a
shield terminal having a plate portion configured to separate the
differential pairs of a first set of differential pairs and to also
separate the differential pairs of a second set of differential pairs so
that the coupling and crosstalk between the differential pairs of the
first set and the second set can be reduced and the signal transmission
data rate of the differential pairs can be increased. Terminal of the
differential pairs may include two obtuse bends rather than a single
right angle bend, resulting in improved signal transmission.

[0040] The above-described embodiments are intended to be illustrative
only. Numerous alternative embodiments may be devised by persons skilled
in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims.